Sanjeevini Dutta

Sanjeevini Dutta muses on what made the Olympic Opening ceremony so appealing to the vast audiences watching.

What was it that made the Olympic Opening ceremony so affecting and memorable for the vast majority of the 27 million viewers of this nation? Though referred to as the 'best inside joke' by the Washington Post suggesting some cultural references may have been lost on those not from these Isles, it did not matter as characters like Bond and Bean are universally known and loved.

Sanjeevini Dutta attended the Conference gives her reflections, hailing the excellence in presentation, performance and discussion.

A three day assembly of artists, academics, performers and rasikas took place at the Bharatiya Vidhya Bhavan under the auspices of Kartik Fine Arts, in Mylapore, Chennai. Curated and convened by Dr Anita Ratnam, of Arangham Trust and of the ubiquitous, narthaki.com, this performer and global promoter of Indian dance has a deep and wide understanding of the form.

This is Indian dance beyond classical and bollywood – it's a slice of life from the Subcontinent shorn of hype and sentimentality.

Emma Gladstone, Director of Dance Umbrella, was in Chennai last November on a judging panel for a new Contemporary dance award.

She was enthused by the diversity of movement vocabularies: "the heritage the dancers draw from is so rich – some old new and some new some invented old... as a nation they are hugely connected and plugged into dance".

She selected three pieces that will be showcased at The Pit, Barbican from the 21st to 24th October 2015: a solo, duet and a five-man ensemble.

Aditi Mangaldas is one of the foremost kathak dancers of India; dynamic, charismatic and thoughtful, her solo and group choreography gives a contemporary face to an ancient art form. Her Company Drishtikon's appearance at the Alchemy Festival, South Bank Centre on 22nd and 23rd May 2014 is one of the most eagerly anticipated events of the season.

Sanjeevini Dutta talks to Aditi on Skype to find out more about the piece Within, that will have its UK Première at the QEH next week.